We Know Your Secret
by xXCOMMANDERXx
Summary: Yes, yes, I know it's been done before... Ever wondered how his fellow Marauders would react upon revealing Remus's biggest, moonlit secret? Read to find out!
1. Chapter 1

**Please Review- even a short sentence will make my day!**

_"_Howling_ Hippogriffs." Remus said, loudly and clearly._

_The portrait swung open- to reveal the warm, welcoming red and gold inside of the Gryffindor common room. Remus stepped in, and the door closed behind him. He made his way across the large room, towards the steps which led up to the boys' dorms, but a rough voice stopped him- _

_"Remus." _

_He turned, to see Sirius Black, James Potter, and Peter Pettigrew- his best friends and fellow Marauders, on the couch in front of the fireplace. _

_"Come here, we want to talk to you." Sirius added coldly, gesturing for Remus to sit down. Remus walked over to the three boys, but decided not to sit- he didn't know why, but something didn't feel right, something felt... off. _

_"Y-yes?" he asked, cursing his voice for breaking._

_"Well Remus," James said, his voice uncharacteristically harsh, "we've been doing a little research... how is your aunt, by the way?"_

_Remus stiffened- had they seen through his lies? Did they know his secret? _No_, he told himself, _it wasn't possible.

_"She's fine, thanks... just recovered from a bad case of pneumonia you see, and she's still rather weak." Remus lied, inwardly scowling but trying hard to keep a straight face._

_"Oh, well that's very unfortunate... seeing as you attended her funeral last month."_

_What color was left in Remus's face was drained from it- how could he have messed things up like this? _Damn!

_"Oh, w-well... this... this is a different aunt- from my m-mother's side..." he offered, but could hear _himself_ how pathetic the excuse sounded. _

_"I see..." Sirius went on, "well, my condolences, _Lupin_." _

_Remus flinched- he hated being called that, though knew he could never say this to his friends. But why had Sirius used his last name? Had he done something wrong?_

_"Th-thanks Sirius." He managed. _

_"Listen, _Lupin_, we know your little secret." James said dryly, leaning in towards Remus- who paled further still. "We know all about your _moonlit_ adventures in the Shrieking Shack, about your... furry little problem." James grinned, but it wasn't the mischievous, I-know-something-and-you-don't grin; it was a let's-see-what-color-your-insides-are grin. _

_"I don't know what you're t-talking about!" Remus said, though it came out as more of a whisper._

_"Of course you do," suddenly said Peter, who had been quiet up until now. "We're talking about lycanthropy- surely you know what _that_ is?"_

_"Yes Remus, surely?" put in Sirius, also leaning forward. _

_"Me? No, no, I d-don't... I would-dn't..." Remus stammered, but James interrupted him._

_"Don't even bother denying it- you're a werewolf Lupin, a horrible, dangerous werewolf, a blood-thirsty _monster, _a dark creature!"_

_Remus seemed to shrink, and he felt a single tear run down his scarred cheek._

_"You didn't really think," Sirius spat, "that we would _ever_ be friends with someone like _you_?" _

_Remus let out a small, choked sob._

_"And to think, we've had a monster sleeping in the same room as us!" Peter exclaimed, "A filthy, half-breed werewolf!"_

_"I-I..." Remus choked out in between sobs, "p-please, I'll leave, I'll g-go, pl-lease..."_

_"It's too late, halfbreed!" Sirius cried, "We _know _your secret!"_

_We know your secret!_

_We know your secret!_

_We know your secret!_

"Remus!"

_We know your secret!_

_We know your secret!_

"Remus, wake up!"

_We know your secret!_

_We know your secret!_

_We know your secret!_

"REMUS!"

"NO!" Remus shouted. He bolted upright, panting- he looked around frantically; in front of him was Sirius, wearing a concerned expression. They were in the boys' dorm, and moonlight poured in from the open window.

"Are you alright Rem?"

This voice belonged to James, who was beside Sirius and looking equally worried.

"Yeah... yeah, I'm fine... I so s-sorry, I didn't mean to wake you... I-I just-"

"It's okay mate," Sirius cut him off, softly. "It happens. You should go back to sleep- here, I still have some '_dreamless' _potion left, it'll help." Sirius handed a small vile to Remus, who nodded thankfully and took a few sips.

"Thanks..." he said, still a little shaken.

"No problem. Now, back to sleep, okay?"

Remus nodded.

"Good. 'Night." Sirius said. And with that, he and James went back to their own beds, tossing about a little before drifting back into sleep. Remus sighed as he lay back down, and Sirius's words from the dream still echoed in his head...

_We know your secret._


	2. Chapter 2

"Hey James, catch!"

But the warning wasn't heard, and the pillow hit the messy-haired boy straight in the face. Sirius's eyes widened- this was _unheard _of; James _never _missed the morning pillow!

"Huh? Wha- oof!" James exclaimed, as the soft object nearly knocked his glasses off. "Oi, Sirius!"

His dormmate was the picture of innocence.

"Hey... is something wrong?" Sirius cautiously asked- James hadn't said or done anything to avenge himself, and his angry expression had already been replaced with the concerned, thoughtful one he had been wearing all morning.

"What? Oh, yes, actually..."

"Well?" Sirius probed, mildly interested.

"I've been thinking... how many sick, dead, or betrothed relatives can Remus _have_? And why does he always go to see them around the same time every month, not in the weekend like most people would?"

Sirius frowned at this- truth be told, he had wondered about the same thing himself, and very often; but when ever either of the two boys confronted Remus about it, he deflected and changed the subject swiftly.

"You know, I've thought about the same thing..." Sirius said, "Where do you think he's _really _going?"

"I don't know, I don't know... but I think I have a theory."

Sirius raised a skeptical eyebrow- James Potter has a _theory?_

"And may I ask what that is?" he inquired, a smile playing on his lips.

"No, you may not, as a matter of fact."

This reply caught Sirius a little off-guard, but he was determined not to let it show.

"Oh? Any why?"

"Because I don't want to tell _anybody _until I'm _sure_ that I'm right..." James replied, frowning. Sirius was shocked- the dark expression on James's face was... worrying, to say the least. The two of them had been friends since they were very little, and Sirius knew that when James got that look something was very wrong, and something very important.

"Well, okay. But when you _do _find out, you will tell me, right?"

"Of course!" James replied indignantly, standing up. "I'm going to..." he shuddered, "to the library."

Sirius's jaw dropped- this was just too much to take in.

"Did... did you just say... no, no, I must have miss-heard." he said, eyeing James suspiciously. James grinned, chuckling-

"You heard me- the library." he said, stretching out each syllable. The look on Sirius's face was _precious_.

"But Sirius- not a word to Remus okay? I don't want to frighten him."

Sirius wasn't quite sure what James meant by 'frighten'- how could their finding something out 'frighten' Remus? But he nodded all the same, smiling slyly-

"Naturally."

Slipping off the Invisibility Cloak, James reached towards the top shelf. Somewhere in the distance Filch's cat yowled, and James quickened his pace. The library's restricted section wasn't the _best _place to get caught in the middle of the night.

"Wandestry, Wand Curses, Wands of Dark Wizards, WDRA..." he muttered, fingering through the old, tattered books.

"Ah! Here- Werewolves And What You Need To Know." The black-haired boy swiftly grabbed the desired volume, quickly covering himself with his father's cloak, which had gotten the four Marauders out of trouble countless times. James sighed- theMarauders. The _four _Marauders. There _had_ to be four Marauders. But how would Sirius and Peter react?

"What is it darling? Has my love spotted somebody?"

James stiffened- that was Filch's voice. He ran as quickly and quietly as the cloak and the heavy book in his hands would allow, making a bee-line for the door. But he stopped short- Filch was right in front of him. It was all James could do to not bump into him; they stood, eye to eye- Filch squinted, looking around among the dark, tall shelves. Finally, he seemed satisfied-

"Come on honey, there's nobody here." he said to Ms. Norris- a kitten he had recently acquired, and had gotten very attached to. The small tabby followed him out of the shadowy room, glancing back once- but soon continued on it's path, leaving the restricted section silent.

James breathed a sigh of relief. He waited for a few minutes, to make sure Filch had gone far enough, and left the large room as well- heading towards the Gryffindor common room.

"What?! Our Remus, our quiet, polite, kind Remus, a _werewolf?" _

"I'm telling you Sirius, it all fits! The disappearances once a month, the way he always looks ill before and after he leaves. And those scars, on his face- I'll willing to bet they aren't his only ones..." James continued, sadness in his eyes.

"But-but but he's... he's so..." Sirius stammered, looking completely shocked.

"I know, I know... here, read this-" James said, handing him the book when Sirius looked as though he was about to protest again. Sirius opened it, scrunching up his nose at the uprise of dust. A small scrap of paper fell from between two pages, the ones which James had read from. Sirius cleared his throat, which was now dry.

"'Chapter Five- How to Identify and K-K-'" He choked, unable to finish his sentence. But, regaining his composure, he sent James a weak, though determined smile and carried on-

"Identify and Kill a Werewolf. To protect yourself from these dark creatures,-'"

James growled.

"'-you must be able to recognize them. Most of the time, werewolves appear as normal as you and me, which is why they are so dangerous and hard to find. The following signs are the basics for finding out a werewolf- one; in the days before the full moon, they will become irritable and moody, prone to violent outbursts if provoked.'"

"Well, I know what _that _feels like- I reckon my nose will never be the same..." James trailed off, smirking.

Sirius scoffed, and continued reading-

"'Before a full moon, a werewolf will become very sickly, with symptoms such as fever, nausea, irritability, joint pain, muscle pain, skeletal pain, headaches, and overall malaise.'"

"Well, that's pretty much a description of Remus right there!" James laughed.

Sirius smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes.

"James?" he said, quietly, "Do you remember, last month, when we teased him about being so sickly and... and weak?"

James looked down- yes, he did remember.

"Merlin Sirius, imagine what that must have _really_ sounded like to Remus..."

Sirius nodded, guilt swelling inside him and clawing at his chest. He carried on reading.

"'And lastly- a werewolf will have numerous scars and wounds, as the pain from the transformations is such that the wolf will scratch and bite itself, especially if separated from humans. The wounds never completely heal, as they are cursed with lycanthropy.'"

The dorm was filled with silence- both boys were awkwardly staring at their feet, not knowing what to say. Sirius read on, still stubbornly clinging to the hope that they were wrong, that this was all just a misunderstanding...

"'A werewolf will keep it's secret close to it's heart, and would never reveal it to anyone, even at the end of a wand. Warning- werewolves are dark creatures, not to be approached, and not to be included in society for the safety of others. They are dangerous beings, and will kill you whenever a chance is presented.'" Sirius finished, anger now creeping into his voice.

"Dark creatures?"

James and Sirius jumped- Peter had just entered the room, looking very worried and fidgety.

"Peter!" the two boys exclaimed simultaneously, gulping.

"Is it true? Is Remus a... a... a dark creature?" Peter asked quietly, looking at the two boys. Sirius and Peter exchanged a glance, and nodded. Peter gasped-

"We've got to tell Dumbledore," he cried, "we've got to get as far away from it as possible, we've got to kill it, we've got to-" but he was cut off by Sirius, who was up and had his wand pointed at the smaller boys chest in a matter of _milliseconds. _

"Call Remus an 'it' or a 'dark creature' again, and you won't live to see the next full moon!" he hissed, his voice dangerously low. James stood up, putting a hand on Sirius's shoulder and turning to Peter:

"Are you suggesting that we _kill _Remus, Peter? Are you suggesting that we kill the boy who has practically done you exams _for_ you, that always stands up for you, that has looked after you, that has-"

"James!" Sirius interrupted. James closed his mouth, but was glaring at Peter in a way that could have made a Dementor drop dead.

"Let him be, James. If he wants to leave the Marauders, he may do so. I wouldn't want to have someone like _him _here anyway." Sirius said calmly, but he sounded easily as intimidating as James.

"B-but guys, it-"

Sirius growled.

"_he's_ d-dangerous, and ev-vil... we can't be a-around it..." Peter stammered, and James held Sirius back once more-

"SHUT UP!" Sirius roared, "SHUT UP! You're not _half _the man Remus is, and you never will be! How can you say that about your friend, Peter? How can you call _Remus _evil? HOW?"

It took all of James's strength and Quidditch-toned muscles to keep Sirius from disemboweling Peter, and he shouted over his friend's furious ranting-

"No Sirius, this wont help- he have to _show _him!"

At this, Sirius stopped- James was right, they had to _prove _to Peter that Remus isn't dangerous; if his secret got out, Remus would probably be expelled.

Sirius shook himself free from James, adjusting his robes.

"Fine." he said, "We'll ask Rem about it after the next full moon- when he's not so irritable but wont be up to avoiding us."

James nodded, and both boys looked at Peter- who squeaked out a shaky "okay".

"Good." James said coldly. "If Remus _is_... dangerous... then when we tell him that we know, he'll try to..." James swallowed, "he'll try to kill us." he finished.

Sirius and Peter nodded- Sirius's face showing determination, Peter's fear.

"So, what now?" James asked.

"Now, we wait. Only three weeks until the next full moon- we'll confront him then. Now, we wait." Sirius repeated, feeling as ready as he would ever be.


	3. Chapter 3

When Remus awoke, all he was aware of was pain. In his muscles, his self-inflicted wounds, the pounding in his head...

"Come dear, you have to stand up- come on Remus."

Remus opened his eyes- the blurry, worried face of Madame Pomfrey flashed in front of him for a second, before Remus slipped back into unconsciousness.

"Come on Pete, you aren't backing out _now _are you?"

"But Sirius, what if he _does_ try to kill us?"

"Then it would be three healthy Marauders against a weak, wounded werewolf." Sirius replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm. But Peter seemed to take his words seriously- pun intended- which amused the taller boy.

"Come on you two, he'll be at the Hospital Wing any time now." James said, from his perch on the windowsill. "We should go, so he doesn't have time to get away."

Sirius nodded, and the three boys set off determinedly to see their- for now- friend.

Ten minutes later, James pushed open the giant doors of the Hospital Wing, walking in as quietly as possible- Madame Pomfrey rarely tolerated visitors.

"Ow! James, stay off my foot!" Sirius shrieked, earning a glare from his fellow Marauder.

"G-guys..."

Sirius and James turned towards Peter, who had come up to one of the beds and was staring, wide-eyed, at the person lying on it. All three boys let out startled gasps- Remus looked deathly pale, and the white sheets around him were stained with blood. Deep scratches ran across his torso, neck and face, which weren't covered with anything- the three Marauders could now see countless scars lacing his sides and chest, some deep, some mere scratches. Even a few bites were visible, bigger than anybody present had ever seen.

Peter whimpered, covering his mouth with shaking hands. James stared, disbelief and pity in his deep blue eyes. Sirius stood, frozen to the spot, unable to say a word, to move, to do _anything. _To think their friend went through this every month, and never told them? Sirius felt anger building in his chest, but it soon subsided- Remus had good reason for not revealing his secret.

Remus stirred, opening his eyes- he attempted to sit up, but yelped at the pain this caused and lay back down.

"R-Remus?" James asked, his voice quivering uncharacteristically. Remus's eyes shot open, and he looked like a startled... _animal. _Sirius thought with a sad smile.

Instantly the grimace of pain was gone from Remus's face, to be replaced with his usual calm, collected expression. He had learnt to hide almost anything in the last eight years.

"Guys?" he asked weakly, "What are you... what are you doing here?"

James and Sirius swallowed, exchanging a glance- now was not the time, and they both knew it.

"We just... we were here last night- Peter tripped _again _and we had to get Pomfrey to fix up his elbow." Sirius lied. It surprised him how easy it was- but the happy thought was ruined by a sad one, that it would be much harder for Remus, who never lied about anything.

"Is he okay now?" Remus asked, actually looking anxious. James smiled inwardly- this boy, who was currently held together only by a scrap of skin, was worrying about the scraped elbow of the friend that wanted to kill him.

_Hilarious, _James thought darkly.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Peter answered, his voice still thin and shaky. Remus's eyes narrowed, and Sirius noticed a glint of panic in them- but it was gone as soon as it had appeared.

"Are those... claw and b-bite marks?" Peter asked quietly, pointing at Remus's injuries. Remus paused, almost unnoticeably, for a moment before answering-

"Yes- my aunt's dog didn't like me very much..." He grinned sheepishly, his hand unconsciously flicking towards his shoulder- where he had been bitten by Fenir Greyback over eight years ago. Not that his friends would ever know this, of course.

"Must have been some dog!" Peter exclaimed, earning a painful elbow from both Sirius and James, and causing Remus to shift uncomfortably.

"Yes, it was. Vicious too, almost monstrous..." Remus chuckled with an odd sort of smile, but for some reason his friends didn't do the same.

"We... we'll be waiting for you in the dorms, okay?" Sirius said awkwardly, avoiding Remus's gaze.

"Sure- but I probably wont be back until tomorrow, I..." but Remus didn't finish his sentence, for a reason unknown to the rest of the Marauders.

"Okay." James said and, Peter in tow, he and Sirius left the Hospital Wing- ironically only moments before Madame Pomfrey returned.

"Howling Hippogriffs." Remus said, loudly and clearly.

The portrait swung open- to reveal the warm, welcoming red and gold inside of the Gryffindor common room. Remus stepped in, and the door closed behind him. He had just escaped- after much pleading- from the clutches of Madame Pomfrey; trying to look inconspicuous, Remus made his way across the large room, towards the steps which led up to the boys' dorms, but a voice stopped him-

"Remus."

He turned, to see Sirius Black, James Potter, and Peter Pettigrew- his best friends and fellow Marauders, on the couch in front of the fireplace.

"Come here, we want to talk to you." Sirius added, gesturing for Remus to sit down. Remus walked over to the three boys, but decided not to sit- he didn't know why, but something didn't feel right, something felt... off. Remus remembered the dream-

**_"Don't even bother denying it- you're a werewolf Lupin, a horrible, dangerous werewolf!"_**

"Y-yes?" he asked, cursing his voice for breaking.

"We've been doing some... research."

Remus stiffened- this was it. They knew. They would drive him away, just like in the dream.

"What k-kind of research?" Remus asked, rather shakily.

"We _know _Remus. We _know._" It was Sirius who spoke, looking directly into Remus's eyes, and leaning froward.

**_"Listen, _****Lupin****_, we know your little secret."_**

"What do you m-mean?" Remus mumbled, "Know what?"

"You know what we're talking about, don't you?" James asked, also leaning forward. Remus glanced at Peter, who was very quiet and looked absolutely terrified. There was no way back now. Remus set off at a run towards the portrait-hole, but with his injuries slowing him down it was easy for Sirius to block his path.

**_"Of course you do; we're talking about lycanthropy- surely you know what _****that****_ is?"_**

"I-I'm sorry, I'll leave... pl-lease... I'll go... please... I'm so s-sorry..." Remus stammered, frantically backing into a corner.

**_"You didn't really think," Sirius spat, "that we would _****ever****_ be friends with someone like _****you****_?" _**

He wrapped his bandaged arms around his torso protectively, remembering all too well what usually happens when his secret is uncovered. James and Sirius exchanged uncomfortable looks.

"I'll go get m-my things, I-I'll leave... please..."

**_"And to think, we've had a monster sleeping in the same room as us! A filthy, half-breed werewolf!"_**

Remus slid down to the floor, back against the wall, placing his head in trembling hands. Every once in a while a sob could be heard, and quiet, frantic pleas.

Sirius, James, and Peter looked at one another; they had never actually seen Remus cry- it was... oddly heart wrenching. Sirius was baffled- how could this boy, this kind, gentle boy, be a werewolf?

"Rem?" he asked quietly, crouching down next to his friend and placing an arm on his shoulder. "Remus, are you okay?"

Remus recoiled, curling into a tight ball-

"I'm so s-sorry! I'm going... I'm not d-dangerous right now... I swear! Please..."

Then Remus realized what Sirius had actually said, and he looked up- his face wet, dark bags under his eyes, a few stray tears rolling down his scarred cheeks:

"Wha... what did you say?"

"Are you okay, Rem?" Sirius asked again, concern in his voice. Remus looked so shocked that James nearly laughed. Nearly.

"Aren't y-you... aren't you..." Remus couldn't find a way to finish his question, so he just continued staring at each of the Marauders in turn, disbelief and a glimmer of hope in his tired brown eyes. James also sat down, looking at his friend-

"Remus, did you really think that _we-_" Remus breathed in sharply-"could _desert_ you?" James finished, smiling. Remus almost gasped- that comment ended completely differently than he had expected.

"B-but I'm... I'm..."

"Yes Remus, we know." James interrupted, "And we _don't care._"

Remus allowed himself a small, barely noticeable smile, and as he continued staring at his three friends a strange feeling blossomed in his chest.

He couldn't quite place it at the time, but later he would learn that this was, indeed, belonging.


End file.
